Malaysia Firm On Defending Freedom In South China Sea - PM Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is firm in defending the freedom of the South China Sea in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

However, he said Malaysia has never closed the door to discussions with any country on this matter.

"The centrality of ASEAN's approach is through negotiation and dialogue, but Malaysia will not waver from our claims and stance regarding Malaysian-owned areas.

“That is why Petronas’ exploration activities, including in the Kasawari area, continue. Even though this has been raised by China, we said we will proceed but have never closed the door for discussions with any country,” he said during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu) on Malaysia's strategy to use diplomatic channels as the ASEAN Chair in 2025 to resolve overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

Anwar said Malaysia will also continue to reprimand and protest if the country’s waters are used as a passage without permission.

The Prime Minister said the government does not agree when issues related to national borders are associated with just one country, such as China, as the same issue is also faced between Malaysia and other neighbouring countries.

“Malaysia has issues with all neighbouring countries, such as Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei ... that’s why we disagree when border disputes are only referred to one country, for example, China.

“… when in fact, we have the same issue (with other countries), and this problem does not affect diplomatic relations, trade relations, or close friendships with our neighbours,” Anwar said.

Meanwhile, regarding the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025, Anwar said, for the first time, it will involve a conference of the 10 member countries together with the Gulf Cooperation Council, which comprises Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, as well as China.

“This will only take place next year, marking a beginning for ASEAN, in addition to continuing ASEAN’s meetings with dialogue partners such as China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, and the United States,” he said.

Apart from the main event in Kuala Lumpur, he said, ASEAN officials’ meetings and several visits will also be held in all states to ensure that no state is left out in celebrating Malaysia as the ASEAN Chair in 2025.

Anwar said that besides focusing on diplomatic discussions, the ASEAN conference will also serve as a platform to introduce Malaysia as the best investment destination.

-- BERNAMA